We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Albriana Youyoute. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Albriana below.

Albriana, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today How did you find your key vendor or vendors? Maybe you can share the backstory and share some context and the relevant details to help us understand why you chose them, why they chose you, etc.

As an event planner and designer, sourcing vendors is one of the most important job descriptions. With every Client, you really have to get to the nitty-gritty of who they are, their design aesthetics, what they like, what they do not like, and the overall feel they want to convey for their wedding or event. Then, you pretty much have to play matchmaker when selecting the vendors to help execute that particular design.

The first step to ensure that I’m pairing the Client with the correct vendor is sending the Client a budget allocation questionnaire. This allows me to know how the Client wants to spend their money. It tells me what’s most important to them, where they want to splurge and hold back.

After I review this alongside their design questionnaire, I select the vendor I believe will be the best vendor to use for their design. I use vendors that perform and deliver at my level of design aesthetics. 

As a designer, you must do your due diligence in selecting the right team to execute your design. I not only use vendors within my market, but I also source vendors outside of my market, out of state, and internationally.

On event day, you can expect to see 20+ vendors because I believe in using one vendor for a wedding or an event. For example, I will use multiple rental companies. Just because rental A company has chairs, table linen, and flatware in its inventory does not necessarily mean I will use them for chairs, table linen, and tableware. I select the rental company with the design piece I need to provide its uniqueness.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

We are a Wedding Planning and Event planning design firm. We provide one-of-a-kind designs to clients locally and internationally. When we design your event, it should reflect who you are as a person and be original. To ensure you have an optimal guest experience, we create statement pieces that are different, ones no one has ever seen. We are known for our designs; our clients hire us for our designs and give us creative control to ensure that everything is spectacular. Our designs are modern, sophisticated, and chic. We love bold colors, large blooms, unique guest experiences, and jaw-dropping moments.

We create weekend experiences for weddings for you and your guest, including the welcome party, wedding, rehearsal dinner, wedding day, and farewell brunch. We work closely with each Client to ensure that everything in your wedding is far beyond what you have imagined.

We are most proud of exceeding our Client’s expectations by providing a thorough and one-of-a-kind planning and design process. As a result, we have been featured in many major publications and are excited about where our next design will take us.

We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?

A lesson I had to unlearn was that luxury and event design is not a one-size-fits-all. I once was part of a conversation with other wedding professionals who felt that luxury and high-end weddings had to be green and white, pastels, and muted colors. I walked away, feeling like my portfolio didn’t add up and didn’t mirror what they felt was beautiful. After much reflection and talking to God, I realized I had to be true to myself. My name is unique. My last name is unique. My brand is bold and unique. I told myself I should not try to fit in the mold of what others think is beautiful or acceptable. Now, I believe in something other than fitting into the mold of what others think. I remember I had a picture from a wedding that I did not share because I felt like, “oh my gosh, nobody’s going like this picture.” Then, one day I just got the urge to share it, and that post received more likes than any other pictures, probably within the last six months. I realized I had to be true to myself. Once I came to this realization, I could design more freely, let people see my uniqueness, and fall in love with every design I create.

What’s been the most effective strategy for growing your clientele?

I tell my coaching clients and mentees that the best way to attract more of your ideal Client is to say no to the inquiries that do not align with your brand. If you have an inquiry that aligns differently from the type of work you want to receive in the future, the best way to attract more of what you want to receive is to say no to what you do not wish to produce again. Now, there are times when you will have to accept a wedding or an event because of cash flow, and that’s fine. But when you were posting online and sharing your events in your feed or portfolio on your website, only put out what you want to do again.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.albrianashante.com and www.albrianashanteconsulting.com
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/albrianashante
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/albrianashante

Image Credits
Green Pearl Photography